Defensive players came into the 2014 season at a disadvantage given the NFL’s emphasis on holding and illegal contact.
Penalties are up, and offenses can just sit back and smile when the league throws them a bone on 3rd-and-long thanks to a cheap “contact” call to move the sticks. That's created free plays for the offense when quarterbacks chuck it down the field and wide receivers throw their hands up in a scripted charade as the sideline erupts in fake emotion to beg for the call.
Garbage football.
Defenders have been forced to adjust how they play the game while wide receivers and tight ends continue to push off at the top of the route. But it gets worse, thanks to the judgment calls on personal fouls, helmet-to-helmet contact and roughing the passer.
These guys are now playing with their hands tied on calls that can impact the outcome of games.I’m not talking about players “launching” themselves at receivers or putting the crown of their helmet under the chin of a quarterback. Players should know that is going to draw a 15-yard penalty and a decent fine.
Instead, I’m focusing on the hits you want to put on tape as a defender.
Good, physical defensive units will create a sense of fear in opponents with speed to the ball and clean, violent strikes at the point of attack. That will never change. The effect is obvious when wide receivers pull up on throws to the middle of the field or when quarterbacks surrender in the pocket once the walls start to close in.
However, even the clean hits are now being called dirty and malicious.
A wide receiver’s head snaps back? That’s a penalty. The quarterback gets roughed up a little bit? Throw the flag. A defensive back separates a tight end from the ball? That’s 15 yards and an automatic first down.
On the clean hits I’ve seen in the secondary this season, the refs are frantically reaching for the flag before the receiver even hits the ground.
I know it looks violent, nasty. And no one wants to see guys laid out on the field. But that’s also the risk involved with this game at the pro level.
Take the hit from New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner on San Diego Chargers tight end Ladarius Green as an example.As you can see, this is a big-time shot with Green trying to secure the ball and Browner lying in the weeds underneath. But it’s also a clean hit, with the cornerback making a visible effort to adjust the angle of his headgear to avoid drawing a penalty.
However, the ref sees Green's head snap back and tosses the flag while ignoring the angle Browner took to deliver a hit within the rules of the game. That took six points off the board for the Patriots after Devin McCourty intercepted the pass and took it back to the end zone.
What would the league’s response be if that play had cost the Patriots a win?
This past Sunday, the refs decided to be overprotective of Russell Wilson in the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks matchup when linebacker Nick Moody hit the quarterback on a blitz. It was a call that changed the course of the game.
Do you remember little league practice or your first two-a-day session in high school, with the coach telling you to keep your head up, put your facemask on the chest and wrap the arms?
I remember those days. “Tackling 101” on a beaten-down sled.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2301633-personal-fouls-the-nfls-latest-officiating-crisis
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